Prison-Made Antiques
Among the many curios of a romantic flavor which occasionally find their way to this country are rare specimens of the handiwork of French soldiers who were imprisoned in England during the early part of the last century.

Antiques or Collectibles? -- That is the Question
Antiques command more attention today than ever before. So widespread is the interest that people regard the fish-shaped amber bottle which held Dr. Fisch's bitters in the early 19th century in the same way they do the hanging lantern at Williamsburg. Nothing that was of personal or household use during the last 300 years is too minor for consideration in the 21st century.

Fire Marks on Old City Dwellings
Though long past are the days when the metal symbol of an insurance company affixed to the front of a house afforded its owner the only sure means of protection from loss by fire, these quaint marks are still occasionally found on early American dwellings and are eagerly captured by collectors when new buildings take the place of old.

Revival of Interest in Currier Prints
Speaking of the prices that were realized for a collection of Currier & Ives prints, earlier in the year, we propsied that "Time will undoubtedly show that the buyers who advantage of low prices...will later find they invested wisely."

Overshot Glass
Overshot glass is the name used in the United States for
crackle glassware that was made from about 1870 up to the
early turn of the century. Like crackle glass, it originated as a
way of hiding defects in the surface of glass. There was an
abundance of items produced, such as vases, pitchers, baskets,
ladles, and dishes.

TV Lamps
Shortly after the arrival of television sets in the American home, along came the TV lamp. In the 1920s, television was only experimental, and by 1941, it was ready for the commercial market. However, World War II and its need for certain materials kept regular production and programming from being fully developed. Between 1948 and 1958, TV was finally in its full glory.

The Writing-Arm Windsor
"One of commodious seat having a bracket with a drawer underneath in which one can keep quills and sand, the bracket is useful to hold our account books and other papers and enables us to quote from the books those things that need our attention," wrote a Philadelphian in 1763. He was describing a writing-arm Windsor which he had admired at the home of a friend, and which he promptly ordered for himself from "Richmond on Sassafras Street, a joiner of much repute who has come out from the motherland."

Two Southern Specialties
Pursuit of the fox with horse and hound was indirectly responsible
for a long-legged piece of furniture known as a hunt board. Fox hunting
as a sport became popular in England about the middle of the eighteenth
century; in America there was the usual lag in time, further increased
by the unsettled conditions during the Revolutionary War.

Banjo Clocks by Willard and Others
Inventing and perfecting what is now referred to as a banjo clock was just an incident in a clockmaking career of seventy-seven years. Its inventor, Simon Willard, began making clocks when he was thirteen years old and reluctantly laid down his tools at the age of ninety.

Chauncey Jerome and His Clock
The Jerome stamped-brass clock was the fruit of a business depressionthe Panic of 1837. It was the result of a frenzied casting about for a product that could be made and sold for a price low enough for the public to buy. The Terry wooden-movement timepieces had been the popular and moderately priced clocks for a quarter of a century but not only were they now beyond the reach of the average citizen but their wooden mechanisms were apt to be affected adversely by the weather.

The American Courting Mirror
Where today a vanity case is one of the many things to be given young women by their suitors, in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries small framed mirrors were among the few articles considered proper presents for such circumstances. As such they were called courting mirrors. Furthermore, because of the high cost and relative scarcity of good mirror glass, they were not gifts bought in the penny shop.

New Hampshire Looking Glass Clock
The New Hampshire Looking-Glass Clocks, as I have told you before, are the most accurate time-pieces in our extensive clock collection.

The Wooodcut And Its Artists
The Bible tells us that the Children of Seth were the first to engrave upon hard materials such as stone and brick, and undoubtedly upon wood, so we know this branch of the arts was one of the earliest.

Glass Makers Of Nancy, France
During the 15th century, Italian glass blowers emigrated to France, but little glass of importance was made there until after 1870 when Galle, a native of Nancy, led the way in the revival of fancy glass making. As a result of his researches and labors, France became one of the leaders in this industry.

Collector's Luck
Playing Cards. This hobby has recently captured the fancy of thousands of enthusiasts, particularly children. It is estimated that over 100,000 school children, a5 well as many adults, are now devoted to card collecting.

Pre-FAB-rications: Innovative Fabrics of the 1960s
Although Paco Rabanne's sentiments were quite true, and fashion had already been repeating itself for some time, many garment manufacturers had already figured out the need for new fabrications. Manufacturers had begun using different materials in discount ready-to-wear fashion (which was a fairly new post-war concept). The garment industry had been looking for inexpensive ways to mass-manufacture easy-care clothing.

Housing The Coin Collection
Housing the coins is a problem that all collectors must face sooner or later and one that can be solved in a variety of ways. For United States coins an album of some type is generally used for housing and display.

Ancient Coin
Before coins were invented, trade was conducted by means of barter and it would have been up to the individuals concerned in the transaction to value one object in relation to another.

European Coins
Following the fall of the Roman empire in the west in A.D. 476, the barbarians spread over western Europe and proceeded to adopt the Roman system of currency.

European Coins II
We have seen how France and Germany were at one time part of the Carolingian empire and how their early history is virtually inseparable.

English Coins
It is generally supposed that coins were not used in Britain before about the first century B.C. As in earlier civilizations before the invention of coins, the medium of exchange before this period would have been barter and since the inhabitants of these islands were primarily an agricultural people living in small closely knit communities, the medium would certainly have included cattle.